Using Creative Financing

Harnessing the power of economics and investment. These solutions take advantage of money, not only in its ability to fund programs but also as a means of giving people autonomy and the power to solve the challenges they face in the ways they see fit. From providing freed slaves in Thailand with cash grants to offering small loans to businesswomen in developing countries, these solutions take advantage of the incentives, power, and leverage of finance.

Stories

RECENT STORIES

These shipping container farms will soon be in grocery store lots across the U.S.

A direct line from local producer to consumer reduces carbon emissions and strengthens community food systems. A partnership between farming tech company Square Roots and Gordon Food Services aims to create local food supply chains by placing cargo-container hydroponic farms directly at store s...

From Shampoo To Breast Implants To Airplanes, This Startup's Lab-Grown Spider Silk Could Go A Long Way

Bringing in bio-manufactured materials can make existing commercial supply chains more sustainable. The German company AMSilk has created a plastic-free alternative to synthetic and farmed silk. By growing biodegradable silk proteins and selling the plastic-free, bio-manufactured material to othe...

Interested In Biking More, But Scared By Busy Streets? There's A New Kind Of Map For You

With community support from a network of neighborhood volunteers and financial support from a local business, the Bike Streets Project makes biking more accessible for those “interested, but concerned” about road safety. The Bike Streets Project maps bicycle routes in Denver with less congestion,...

The $15 Minimum Wage Doesn't Just Improve Lives. It Saves Them.

Economists have often debated the positives of a higher minimum wage in the United States as a matter of productivity, profits, and losses but in this article, Matthew Desmond explores another way that the success of increasing minimum wage can be measured: through public health and impacts on t...

'Dignity and respect': Dominican factory vows to never be a sweatshop

In the Dominican Republic, employees at the Alta Gracia factory are paid 2.5 times the national minimum wage, a salary that is widely unheard of in the garment factories that make t-shirts and sports merchandise for American consumers. While the business has sometimes struggled to maintain invest...

How one Maine school is cutting $30,000 or more from the cost of college

A partnership between Maine high schools and Thomas College is helping cut college costs by at least $30,000. Through the Pathways program, students enroll in dual enrollment classes while still in high school and complete extra credit hours and summer classes while in college en route to finishi...

Making an App to Make a Difference

The lack of technology and app solutions for social problems is beginning to change thanks to the help of a growing group of technology accelerators (also called incubators) aimed at tech companies focused on social impact, rather than traditional profit-focused start-ups. Incubators like Blue Ri...

This Country Gave People $640 A Month, No Strings Attached. Here's What Happened.

In Finland, preliminary results from the country's first experiments with Universal Basic Income are being released - and while impacts on employment rates are still up in the air, providing a basic income seemed to improve overall well-being and reduce financial stress amongst participants. It i...

Can old-fashioned journalism combat fake news?

Human-based fact checking offers a more dynamic and thorough way to determine the credibility of news outlets than the use of machine learning software. Although humans are still prone to implicit biases, NewsGuard’s model of employing a team of human fact-checkers to rate news websites pushes ba...

A direct line from local producer to consumer reduces carbon emissions and strengthens community food systems. A partnership between farming tech company Square Roots and Gordon Food Services aims to create local food supply chains by placing cargo-container hydroponic farms directly at store sites and distribution centers. The plan is inspired by the success of Square Roots’ container farms in Brooklyn, NY.

From Shampoo To Breast Implants To Airplanes, This Startup's Lab-Grown Spider Silk Could Go A Long Way

Bringing in bio-manufactured materials can make existing commercial supply chains more sustainable. The German company AMSilk has created a plastic-free alternative to synthetic and farmed silk. By growing biodegradable silk proteins and selling the plastic-free, bio-manufactured material to other companies, AMSilk has implemented sustainable practices across multiple consumer sectors.

Interested In Biking More, But Scared By Busy Streets? There's A New Kind Of Map For You

With community support from a network of neighborhood volunteers and financial support from a local business, the Bike Streets Project makes biking more accessible for those “interested, but concerned” about road safety. The Bike Streets Project maps bicycle routes in Denver with less congestion, specifically avoiding areas of high congestion or dangerous roads marked by “sharrows.”

Anti-vaxx propaganda has gone viral on Facebook. Pinterest has a cure

Correcting "data voids," which provide the space for conspiracies to flourish online, requires online platforms to take active measures against misinformation. In the face of digital marketing incentive structures and biases in search algorithms, scientific journals can’t produce enough content to dispel assumptions of false equivalency between science and propaganda, creating a data gap. Pinterest is currently one of the few companies trying to correct this imbalance between settled science and misinformation campaigns characteristic of many online social media platforms.

The $15 Minimum Wage Doesn't Just Improve Lives. It Saves Them.

Economists have often debated the positives of a higher minimum wage in the United States as a matter of productivity, profits, and losses but in this article, Matthew Desmond explores another way that the success of increasing minimum wage can be measured: through public health and impacts on things like depression, anxiety, stress, and more. Studies have shown that higher minimum wages have been connected to lower rates of teenage alcohol consumption and preventing premature deaths.

In the Dominican Republic, employees at the Alta Gracia factory are paid 2.5 times the national minimum wage, a salary that is widely unheard of in the garment factories that make t-shirts and sports merchandise for American consumers. While the business has sometimes struggled to maintain investors and turn a profit, the guarantee of a living wage has introduced much deserved financial stability in the lives of workers who are often relegated to substandard conditions and minimal wages.

How one Maine school is cutting $30,000 or more from the cost of college

A partnership between Maine high schools and Thomas College is helping cut college costs by at least $30,000. Through the Pathways program, students enroll in dual enrollment classes while still in high school and complete extra credit hours and summer classes while in college en route to finishing a bachelors degree in three years instead of the traditional four.

Making an App to Make a Difference

The lack of technology and app solutions for social problems is beginning to change thanks to the help of a growing group of technology accelerators (also called incubators) aimed at tech companies focused on social impact, rather than traditional profit-focused start-ups. Incubators like Blue Ridge Labs, Fast Forward, and Financial Solutions Lab offer capital, connections, and mentorship. As the author mentions, "For profit-focused tech companies, accelerators are very helpful. But for social tech, they’re a necessity. This technology is generally more complex to create, and much more difficult to finance."

This Country Gave People $640 A Month, No Strings Attached. Here's What Happened.

In Finland, preliminary results from the country's first experiments with Universal Basic Income are being released - and while impacts on employment rates are still up in the air, providing a basic income seemed to improve overall well-being and reduce financial stress amongst participants. It is among a group of basic income pilots taking place across the world, including in countries like Kenya and Canada, but detractors of the expensive program say that the results don't prove it's a success quite yet.

Human-based fact checking offers a more dynamic and thorough way to determine the credibility of news outlets than the use of machine learning software. Although humans are still prone to implicit biases, NewsGuard’s model of employing a team of human fact-checkers to rate news websites pushes back against the tendency of algorithms to disseminate false or misleading content. A user-installed plug-in offers details about the credibility and transparency of over 2,000 websites.

DON'T WANT TO REGISTERBUT STILL WANT TO GET OUR EMAILS?SUBSCRIBE HERE

Please provide a valid email

Support The Network

The Solutions Story Tracker® is supported in part by The Rockefeller Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Additional Site Acknowledgments

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. By continuing to use this site you consent to the use of cookies on your device as described in our privacy policy. You can change your cookies settings at any time through your browser settings.

HAVE YOU BEEN TRAINED IN SOLUTIONS JOURNALISM ALREADY, VIA ATTENDANCE AT AN SJN TRAINING OR WEBINAR?*YesNo

Your information will be used to better support and enable your membership. We care about your privacy and, in accordance with GDPR regulations, request your consent before giving you access to the membership services described above. You will also receive customized communications tailored to your interests as described by your selections. We will never sell your information to 3rd parties. You can cancel your membership and change your communications preferences at any time, though this may prevent you from participating in the opportunities provided by this program. View our full privacy policy here. By clicking submit, you accept these terms.

It’s easy and will take less than 2 minutes.

PLEASE FIX THE BELOW ERRORS:

Your information will be used to better support and enable your membership. We care about your privacy and, in accordance with GDPR regulations, request your consent before giving you access to the membership services described above. You will also receive customized communications tailored to your interests as described by your selections. We will never sell your information to 3rd parties. You can cancel your membership and change your communications preferences at any time, though this may prevent you from participating in the opportunities provided by this program. View our full privacy policy here. By clicking submit, you accept these terms.

Submit a Story

Help us grow our database of solutions stories! Please enter the following information. Our staff will review the story, and if it meets our criteria (see below), it will be added to the Solutions Story Tracker®.

If you want to get notified when your story is added, register or login before submitting stories here.

Thank you for submitting a solutions story!

Great suggestion! So great, that we already have that story listed in the Solutions Story Tracker®.
View it here.

Great suggestion! So great that it's already been submitted and is under review.

Thank you for submitting a solutions story!

It may take a few weeks to see your piece in the Solutions Story Tracker®, as we have a backlog of submissions longer than Ben Hur that we’re diligently working to eliminate. We appreciate your patience.

SJN'S CRITERIA FOR GOOD SOLUTIONS JOURNALISM:

Comes from a news outlet; has a date and a byline.

Focuses primarily on a response to a problem.

Conveys insight, so that its lessons are relevant and teachable to others.

WHICH COLLECTION DO YOU WANT TO ADD THIS STORYLINK TO?

INCLUDE A NOTE ABOUT THIS STORYLINK (OPTIONAL)

Thanks!

Create A New Collection!

Collections are versatile, powerful and simple to create. From a customized course reader to an action-guide for an upcoming service-learning trip, collections illuminate themes, guide inquiry, and provide context for how people around the world are responding to social challenges.

1

Name and describe your collection

2

Add Stories

3

Add external links at any time

4

Add to your collection over time and share!

1

Name Your Collection

2

Add Stories

Add stories to your collection from your list of Favorites below, or add stories directly to a collection from Search or Discover. Anytime you see the collection icon you can add a story. Just click the icon and follow the instructions on your screen.

3

Add External Links

This is a powerful feature to provide context and additional information to enhance your collection. Add a link to a relevant website, and a short description about how the resource relates to your collection.